To the Editor: Drs Herzlinger and Parsa-Parsi
argue that the Swiss health care system is largely consumer-driven and that
this explains its superior performance compared with the United States in
terms of cost control and universal and equitable access.1 The
notion that the Swiss system could serve as a model for the United States
will come as a surprise to many Swiss compatriots. We are in the midst of
a vigorous debate on the future of our health care system, with stakeholders
and politicians agreeing on only 1 point: the need to reform a system that
seems financially unsustainable.